Wake Forest Basketball Stuns Duke In ACC Tournament Upset
Wake Forest Basketball Stuns Duke In ACC Tournament Upset...
Wake Forest pulled off a dramatic 78-75 upset over No. 4 Duke in the ACC Tournament quarterfinals Thursday night, sending shockwaves through college basketball. The Demon Deacons' victory, fueled by a career-high 28 points from guard Cameron Hildreth, marks their first win over Duke in the conference tournament since 2009.
The game, played at Capital One Arena in Washington, D.C., saw Wake Forest overcome a 12-point second-half deficit. Coach Steve Forbes' squad held Duke scoreless for the final 2:37 while hitting clutch free throws to seal the win. The victory keeps Wake Forest's NCAA Tournament hopes alive and eliminates one of the ACC's top contenders.
Social media erupted after the game, with #WakeForest trending nationally as fans celebrated the underdog win. The upset comes at a critical moment - Wake Forest (21-12) entered the game squarely on the NCAA Tournament bubble, while Duke (26-7) was projected as a potential No. 1 seed.
Duke coach Jon Scheyer called the loss "a tough lesson" for his team, which committed 15 turnovers. Wake Forest's physical defense limited Duke star Kyle Filipowski to just 12 points, nearly eight below his season average. The Blue Devils shot just 39% from the field in the second half.
The Demon Deacons advance to face No. 11 North Carolina in Friday's semifinal. A win there would likely lock up an NCAA Tournament bid for Wake Forest, which hasn't danced since 2017. Ticket resale prices for Friday's game have already doubled as fans rush to see if the Cinderella run continues.
Thursday's upset continues a chaotic ACC Tournament that has seen three lower-seeded teams advance. Conference officials reported record television ratings for the quarterfinal round, with the Wake-Duke game peaking at 4.2 million viewers. The dramatic finish included five lead changes in the final four minutes.
Wake Forest students began celebrating immediately after the final buzzer, with hundreds gathering on campus in Winston-Salem. University officials confirmed they're preparing for potential NCAA Tournament watch parties next week. The last time Wake Forest made this deep an ACC Tournament run was 2008, when they reached the final.
Analysts say the win could be worth millions to Wake Forest's athletic department through increased merchandise sales, donations, and potential NCAA Tournament revenue shares. The school's online store reported a 300% spike in jersey sales within hours of the game ending.
